Any suggestions for vegan eating in Pigeon Forge, Knoxville (Maryville would be even better), or Chatanooga? This summer I'm hoping to go on brief vacas nearby and these towns I know enough about to have some fun...but not enough to not starve to death.

_________________A bunny's a delightful habit, no home's complete without a rabbit.--Clare Newberry

If you make it to Knoxville, try Tomato Head or Three Rivers Market (has a hot bar that usually has vegan stuff, salad bar, and pretty good vegan stuff in general).

There is a Tomato Head in Maryville as well.

Pigeon Forge... I don't know. There are probably some vegan options here and there, but nothing super comes to mind. I would recommend staying away from Pigeon Forge in general, unless you want to do some outlet shopping, buy airbrushed t-shirts, or get stuck in traffic (but if that's your thing, it's great! just not my thing). Gatlinburg can be cute, though, and I would take my chances there food-wise over Pigeon Forge. Of course, the best part of the area are the Smoky Mountains!

Pigeon Forge is pretty awful, but the surrounding area is nice. Last time I went we stayed in a cabin that a friend of mine owns, so we took all our own food. I did spot a Mellow Mushroom in the town though, so that might be your best bet.

I tend to stay away from that area unless I happen to be entering the park from that direction, so I don't have the most updated info. But I would recommend not counting on being able to find decent food in either town. I also would recommend not expecting reasonable prices for food in either town. If you do find a mediocre vegan option (ie. salad w/o dressing or limp veggie burger) in Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg, you will probably pay upwards of $15 for it. Those are towns meant to catch all your money as you enter or exit the park from that angle.

But you should visit the Smokies if you can. Best possible scenario: have awesome luck and hit up all the roadside fruit/veggie/boiled peanut stands on the Townsend side (a bit southwest of Pigeon Forge and one of the other main entrances to the park from the north). Worst possible scenario: hit up a grocery store.

If you are looking for an actual restaurant experience, Knoxville or Maryville are your best bet. (if someone with more current info knows if this has changed...!)

There is an Indian restaurant in Pigeon Forge, but I've never tried it, so I don't know if it is any good or not: http://www.tasteofindiasmokies.com/ (warning: it is a really annoying website with music)

Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg are pretty useless as far as vegan food goes. Even their omni food is kind of gross and overpriced. I'd just count on preparing your own food if you're staying in that area and have access to a kitchen.

Yes. They are generally pretty great about understanding vegan stuff. They brought me a Kepner (my absolute favorite sandwich) that turned out to be the vegetarian/not vegan version. Before I could even say anything, the server ran over to tell me they had made a mistake and were already making a vegan one. Then she brought me a giant salad while I waited for the re-do.

I've never actually been to the Maryville location. Tomato Head posted a lot about their decision on their Facebook page. The Market Square location is always packed and noisy. I live in West Knoxville, so I'm kind of excited about the new location, but understand folks in Blount County being sad.

There are Mellow Mushrooms in both Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, with vegan options. I also ate at Cabin Cafe just outside of Gatlinburg and while they didn't have a big selection, I wasn't hungry after going there--had a tofurky and cheeze sandwich with potato chips. I also noticed that Ruby Tuesdays was nearby and usually they have the spaghetti squash marinara (w/o cheese, it's vegan), though I didn't eat there. Near Knoxville I ate at an Ethiopian restaurant, where all their vegetarian dishes (6 total) were also vegan. It was very cool to eat Ethiopian food! Also, I sent an email to the food people at Dollywood and they had a vegan meal ready for me. It was edible, but not very good: two plain vegan patties (no bun, lettuce, etc.) and a veggie mix on the side (cooked broc, cauli, carrots). The Dollywood lady did say that they plan on having more vegan options in the future, but right now your best bet is to get in touch with the food people at least a week ahead of time.

_________________A bunny's a delightful habit, no home's complete without a rabbit.--Clare Newberry

Oh man, Knoxville has an Ethiopian restaurant? I know where I'm going whenever I get my asparagus out to Knoxville to visit my ol Smokies coworkers.

Yeah, I'm not sure I ever ate anywhere in G-burg when I worked in the Smokies. I think there was a Mexican place I got some tacos at lunch once. Otherwise we only went to the brewery after work, and I must have eaten something, but it clearly doesn't stand out. What stands out is good, huge cheap beer one of the nights of the week, with trivia followed by karaoke.

_________________Evolved a vascular system, so I went from bryophyte to lycophyte.

I just moved to Knoxville... Besides Tomatoe Head, I've discovered that Magic Wok and the Noodle Cafe both serve tofu! There's also a great Greek place that serves hummus and falafel wraps in Oak Ridge. Is anyone else familiar with anything else in the area?

Unless something has changed, Big Fatty's in Bearden has vegan options. Sunspot on Cumberland Ave. is great. Barley's in the Old City has soy cheese. Chase down the Savory & Sweet foodtruck and get a tofu bahn mi.